Tigers ground owls, 8-5

Saturday

May 10, 2014 at 1:18 AM

Kirksville sends off their lone senior with a win over Marshall

Paul Halfacre Sports Editor @phalfacre_kde

KIRKSVILLE – Last season the Kirksville Tigers saw a huge senior class leave a ton of question marks for this year’s squad. This year the young Tigers grew up right before everyone’s eyes as they were led by the grit and toughness of their lone senior, Nate Farnsworth.

The Tigers sent off their lone senior in style with a victory over district foe Marshall, 8-5, on Friday evening.

“Every game from here on out is a statement game,” Kirksville head coach Andy Jackson said. “District seeding is coming up on Sunday so you’ve got to keep putting notches in your belt and playing well and let your play speak for yourself.”

The Tigers got their scoring started off after they found themselves trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second. Joe Brawner smashed a home run over the center field fence to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Tigers’ offense woke up in a big way.

The Tigers got six hits in a row before Marshall could record an out. They would score five straight runs before Marshall could blink. All hits were solid drives finding the holes in the Owls’ defense and the Tigers could do no wrong in the bottom of the fifth as they put up six runs in their half of the inning.

“You could tell at the beginning we were ready to go and we just came out and executed,” Farnsworth said.

After the inning the Tigers were staked to a 7-2 lead and seemed to be in cruise control. Despite Marshall grabbing three runs in the top half of the sixth inning, the Tigers were in no danger of dropping this game and cruised to the finish with an 8-5 victory.

“Kirksville’s always got a solid team. Coach Jackson does a solid job with the young men in Kirksville,” Marshall head coach Ian Verts said. “We hit the ball well, our pitching missed a few spots in the middle innings and we paid for it.”

Now the Tigers have won three in a row and five in their last six games as they prepare for the stretch run.

“I’ve always said ‘one game at a time’ and I’ve believed in these guys the whole time,” Jackson said. “If we can play the way we’re capable of and keep doing things right in one-and-done situations, anything can happen.”

The Tigers recognized their lone senior in Farnsworth, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI and one put out in the field, but the coaching staff understands that this is not the last game that Farnsworth will play for the Orange and Black.

“I don’t believe in senior nights, simply because if you do well in the playoffs it shouldn’t be your last game,” Jackson said. “Nate’s a great kid. He’s really stabilized the leadership role on this team and has given the guys someone to believe in and they can follow. He’s given us a little toughness, a little grit that we’ve needed so we’re glad to have him.”

Farnsworth showed that grit and toughness as he played in multiple positions for the Tigers. He played a bit at the corner infield positions, he’s pitched for the Tigers, and then he’s played in the outfield and filled in wherever he was asked to.

And in the lineup, he’s stabilized the middle of the order with a solid bat.

“He’s been a great addition to our team and he’s been really good this year. We couldn’t ask for anything else from him,” Jackson said.

Farnsworth, a three-sport athlete for the Tigers, will look to keep providing that steady leadership and toughness until the last pitch of the 2014 season and hopes he can leave something for his younger teammates to strive for.

“Just keep working hard, it’s hard to keep working in the offseason,” Farnsworth said. “It helps in the long run, you’ve just got to keep grinding away.”